Pipe cleaning tool head and handle



April 30, 1940. F. McALL ISTER PIPE CLEANING TOOL HEAD AND HANDLE Original Filed Oct. 31, 1956 iiiii iii PatentedApr. 30, 1940- PIPECLEANING; TOOL HEAD AN HANDLE This invention relates 1 to devices H for cleaning out theservicey pipe which runs; from a gas main in the street intothe building. Such:;,a service pipe is generally three-quarter inch to three inches in diameter and runs from. a T

connected at the upper surface of the gas main toya T withinthecellar for eonnection with the gas meter., This pipe is usually straight and *tel i w r valve in 1it outside of the buildin say at the curb line. i l t f Servicepipesof this character frequently become clogged frorngustand corrosion and the tar-deposited by, the gas, sometimes also water kcondenses inthe pipe'ancl collects in the bottom. 1 Such water may; freeze in winter and completely or substantially close the pipe for lmos t its entire length. Sometimes the gas lcornpany does not have a record, ofathelocation:

Q0 xof the main. i i it 1 1 q The primary Object of the present invention L 1 s a device which maybe operated froin the i l interior of the building to clean out obstructions and remove foreign matter frem the interior of th iqe n i a a 1 a '"f N Another object oi the invention :is; a cleaning device of the character descrlbed which will pass V l s inat 1 1 6- a -y burrsiormed onfthe interior of the pipe or;

f, Yet another object of the invention is the utilization- 9f features of this inventionto ascertain the location of themain in thestreetg While ,the subject matter oi this invention probably has its greatest applicability to gas t it :willfbe obvious as the descriptionpro ceeds that the invention ,is equally, applicable in any situation where fluidis conducted through 'ieous orjboth. f i t n n a U e m "It must bebornein mind that any device for la assagegsuch fluid bein either li uid or asi p 1 l l g iluidway M will, because of its yieldlng characwthis purpose must preventfthe escape of fluid i'rom the seryice pipe into the building and to this end suitable pi'ovis'ionis rnade, in carrying the invention into efiect, to, xsealflthe clean out tddeviCe while at thejsarne timejaffording freedom n of movementiso asito reach any portion of the service pipe. L

The invention also resides indetails-of con-1' pstruc tion,which are practicalQfrom the standpointcfease and cheapnessof manufacture and durability and convenience; inluse. n

, These-and ether objects of theinvention; and the pans for their attainment will be more i 5 anteater; transits were fl eta dq s tmion the main but frequently has a from; the gas main is indicated at l2.

.c losed bya removable plug, not shown.

ablynon-metallic material formed, as a frusj; at g FranklinMcAllister iFlushing,N. Y; l Original applicationjoctoher 31, 1936, Serial N0- a 108,607. 1 Divided and this application May 20, e 1937, Serial No. 143,737 n i e t drawing in which: n t n Figure lis a view in side elevation'and partly "in, section showing the cleaning device of this i a invention applied to a service pipe'for, fluid of any description; and" Figures 2, 3 and 4 are longitudinally sectional views showing various cleaning members of this the said cleaning members; Thisapplicationis a divisional of United States application SerialNo; 108,607. a e Referring firstto Figure l, the service pipe fluidway of the T on the inside of the building is indicated at i3-l4. The side outlet by which connection is made to the meter is indicated at 15. ffNormally, the innerendt [4- of the T is When an obstructionis to beremoved in the service line l2, the., plugis removed and the a device of this invention is inserted. I a

As shown, a plug 11 of yielding and prefertum of a cone or at least so that the transverse area'at the inner end, that is, that end which enters the fluidway, I 4, is lesstthan the transverse area at the'other end without the T. The plug is formedwith a transverse bore and in the interest, of durability and particularly where the plug is made of such material as rubher, the ends of theplug are provided with inetallic plates 21} a l a e ,It is [contemplatedthat a cleaning rod indicated in. its entirety at 26 shall pass through a the, bore of the plug into the service line I2 and while, the plug, I! when inserted within the tier, forma fiuid tight joint between. theyielding periphery of the plug H and the interior surfaceof the fiuidway M, it is also conterm plated, ,in accordance with this invention, to

seal the space b'etween the bore and the rod 2t since the interior diameter of the tube must necessarily be sufiiciently greater than the diam eter 0f the; bore 24 to permit fredom of moveinent of the rod 26 therewithin. Conveniently there is carried with the end Wall 2| ofthe plug tienfbya frame orthelikewhich shall have 5 Figuires fi through -8 show modifications of K10 The 1 clamping engagement with the inner end of the.

pipe H or exterior fiuidway portion l3 of the T |3-|5. To this end, a yoke or the like, 33, is mounted upon the stufing box and receives the threaded ends of rearwardly extending rods or arms 3%, which are pivotally connected, as at 31,

with an adjustable clamping frame adapted toengage the cylindrical flange on the fluidway |3, for instance, and is drawn into clamping en-v gagement by the bolts 39 and wing nuts 4|), as

will be understood. The clamping frame 40,

then being in fixed position-,the plug I! may be drawn tightly into the fluidway M by tightening up on wing nuts 4| on the ends of the rods which thereby draws the annulus 33 and with it the end of the plug of larger diameter toward the T, as will be understood. I I

The cleaning rod 26 is conveniently formed of sections d3 of suitable diameter as has been hereinbefore. explained, which at one end is formed with an interior bore. 44 of relatively large diam.-

' eter terminating in athreaded recess while the opposite end of each section 43 is formed with a cylindrical end 43. of reduced diameter to fit snugly into the bore 44 and with a threaded end .41 for reception in the threaded recess 45. Thus not only are the respective rod sections secured together as by the threadedinterconnection but strain on the threaded connection is relieved and angularity of the respective rod sections is prevented and the assembly strengthened .by the coacting telescoping parts 44, 46. Clearly any number of rod sections may be used as is necessary to reach the T at the main.

. Assuming now the parts are in the position as shown in Figure 1 and it is desired to locate the 'Tandthereby the main in the street, a tip, such as indicated at 48, may be mounted on. the threaded end 41 of the foremost rod section 43. 'I'histip- 48 has a' relatively blunt chisel point, as shown, and'is provided with a threaded recess 49 for the reception of the threaded end 4T| of the rod 43. Then when the sectional rod- 46 is passed through the stufiing box and plug and into the pipe E2, the free end is guided past any obstruction such as burrs or valve parts until the tip 48 reaches and engages the wall of the T at the main.

If the pipemerely contains some tar, for instance, and rust and any incrustations adhering strongly to the walls, a relatively flexible washerlike member may be used such as is shown in Figure 2, such memberbeing shown as formed of an annular sleeve 5!! surrounded with what may be termed aiwasher or the like 5| of somewhat wardly turned flanges 52.

flexible or semi-rigid material preferably nonmetallic such as leather or rubber, which may conveniently be held on the sleeve 50 by out- Conveniently the peripheral edge of the. washer 5| may be rounded, as at 53. Where a stiffer washer is'required or can be used, as the case may be, an annular disc 54, of material which can be similar to the disc 5|,isheld between a pair oftannular plates conveniently of metal of suitable gaugesecured together in clamping engagement with the member 55 as by rivets or the equivalent 56. Either the disc of Figure 2 or the disc 54, 56 of Figure lmay be mounted on the threadedend 41 of the fore most rod 43and retained against the reduced portion it by means of the guiding tip 48.

Where water or other liquid is found in the pipe, a cleanout element, such as shown in Figure 3, may be interposed between the tip 48 and-the rod portion 46. As shown,-a sleeve 58 is adapted to be received on the threaded portion 41 of the.

rod. This sleeve has mounted thereon a cup shaped portion 59 conveniently of, leather or equivalent material and of a diameter substantially such as to be received Within the pipe l2 with ability to pass any burrs or the like on the pipe'interior. The cup. shaped portion is formed axially with an aperture 60 which receives the sleeve 58 and. annular metallic plates 6| and 62,

disposed upon opposite sides of the base portion of the cup 59, are held in clamping engagement wi th the surfaces surrounding the aperture 60 by means of flanges 64 formed on the sleeve 58.

For convenience and durability, the interior of the rim of the cup shaped portion 59 may be bevelled,

as shownat .65. When this device is mounted upon the end of the rod 26 and reciprocated along the length of the pipe l2, liquid entrapped therein is either pushed forwardly into the main or pulled rearwardly toward the T |3-| 5 with a somewhat similar effect'to that of a plunger of a suction.

pump, the flexible wall 59 yielding somewhat to pass inequalities in the interiorsurface of the. pipe l2.

Another instrument whereby water may be expelled from the service line I2 is illustrated in Figure 4. An expansible plug, such asshown in Figure 4, may therefore be resorted to. As shown,

two sleeves. 68 59 of the same. diameter may be utilized. Eachsleeve is formed on the remote end with a flange 18. Between these two flanges 10 and encircling the two sleeves 68-69 is an expansible or compressible member conveniently of yielding non-metallic material, suchiasrubber,

Conveniently this member is illustrated at 1|. formed with a peripheral groove 12 whereof the sides 13 slope or are bevelled so that from a point is relatively near the end'of member it clecreases progressively in diameter to the midpoint.

' The interior diameters of the sleeves 68and69 are such as to fit on the portion. 46 of reduced diameter of the rod section 43, it being held in placeby the tip 48; When forced into the pipe to the desired point where the "water occurs and the rod then rotated, the tip 43 will be drawn on to the threaded. portion 41 thereby causing the two sleeves 68-1-69 to approach one another to compress the compressible material H and cause I it to increase in size transversely of the axis. of the rod until the yielding non-metallic material engages the interior of the pipe'and tightly seals the same and pushes the water withit as the rod advances. v

It will be obvious that adhesive may, in some situations-be usedin lieu of; rivets 5601' sleeves 50 in the. Figures 1 and 2 modifications of thev disc-like cleaning member.- Such a modified structure is shown. in Figures 5 and 6. In the Figure 5 showing, the so-called washer 5| is supported toimpart a relatively greater degree of stiffness by discs or annuli T5 of a desired diameter and thickness, the apertures"; therein being such as to-receive the threadedend 41 of the rod and are of the same diameter asthe aperture 11 in the washer 5|. Adhesive or the equivalent secures the parts 5| and 15 together. In the Fig ure 6 disclosure, the annuli ,18 are of smaller diameter but otherwise follow the teaching of the Figures 1, 2 and 5 modifications and like reference characters are affixed.

Figure '7 shows a simplified cup-shaped member 8!! wherein annuli 8| are secured by adhesive to the sides of the cup so. 1

' An instrument similar in purpose to that'shown in Figure 4 is illustrated in Figure 8. Here again,

the plug 83-is convenientlymade of expansible or is obtained.

compressible material, rubber being aconvenient yielding non-metallic material for the purpose.

Theperipheral groove 72 is shown as somewhat shallower but, the plug being of less overall length, the inclination of the frusto-conical surfaces 13 is about the same Annuli 84 are adhesively juxtaposed to the ends, respectively,-

while the diameters of thebore of the plug 83 and of the aperture of the annuli 84 are the same.

Obviously, the inclination of the surfaces 13 and thelongitudinaland transverse dimensions of the plug as Well as the depth of the groove '12 are selected whereby the desired degree of expansion Inthis modification, in order to control the areas thatincrease in size, a sleeve 85 is inserted Within the bore. As the inner ,\diameter of the sleeve 85 must equal the diameter of the bore, the sleeve 85 isembedded in theplug,

as shown. Theinterior diameters of the sleeve 85 and the apertures inthe anuli 84 are such as to fit onthe portion of the rod of reduced diameter, held in place by the tip48.

When the plug is forced into the pipe to the desired point and the rod rotated, the plug beingheld sufliciently stationary by its contact with the pipe I2 and the tip being held stationary either by frictional engagement with the plug or by the interengagement of a pin or pins 86 entering recesses 81in the tip, and the rod then rotated, the tip will be drawn on to the threaded portions thereby causing the two annuli 84, as before, to approach one another to compress the expansible material 83 andcause it to increase in size transverselyof the ing. For example, the sections 43 may be of axis of the rod until the yielding non-metallic material engages the interior of the pipe and tightly seals the same and pushes the water with it as the rodadvances. I,

It will thus be seen that a service pipe cleanout device has been provided which serves thepur pose of afiording a fluid tight joint where it enters the line and is capable of receiving innumerable instruments for removing a variety oi obstructions in the interiorof the pipe; The rod 26 being in sections can be increased inlength so as to reachthe end of any service pipe no matter what the distance of the main is from the buildeight foot lengths and may beconnected together to extend through a pipe one hundred or onehundred and fifty feet or more in length to remove obstructions or tolocate the main in the street. Thethreaded connection between the rod in the art in the composition, configuration and sections is so designed as to provide a gas tight joint therebetween so no fluid can leak pastthe i 55 stufiing box even during the interval of time that a rodjoint is partly within the stuifing box and partly without the same. i

Various'modificationsuwill occur to those skilled disposition of the component elements going to make up the invention as a whole or in the selection of or combination of desired instrumentalities to accomplish the particular purpose at hand,

and no limitation is intendedcby the phraseology of the foregoing description or illustrations in the acompanyingdrawing, exceptas indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is;

l. A service pipe clean-out tool comprising an elongated member, a pair ofspaced annular compression elements mounted on said member for free rotation thereon, an apertured spool-shaped scraper formed of resilient, nonemetallicmaterial mounted on said member between said compres sion elements, adapted to beheld against rotation by frictional engagement with the inner Wall of a pipe being cleaned, the end portions of said scraper beingof a larger outer diameter than i said annular compressionelements and presenting circular scraping edges at opposite outer ends thereof, abutmentmeans on said member engaging the outer side of one of said compression elements to maintain the same against longitudinal movement in one direction, additional means threaded on said member and adapted to engage the outer side of the othercompression element,

said other compression element being in nonrotatable engagement with saidscraper and the contacting sides of saidadditional means and [said other compression element being so formed that, upon rotation of said mernber in one direc tion, with said scraper frictionally held in said pipe, said additional threaded means will be pressure in opposite directions against the compression elements and against the outer endsof the spool-shapedscraper to-expand the same outwardly into scraping engagement with the inner wall of said pipe. i n i 2. A service pipe clean-out tool comprising an elongated member, a pair of spaced annular compression elements mounted on said member for free rotation thereon, adaperturedspool-shaped scraper f ormedof resilient, non-metallic material mounted on said member between said compression elements, adapted to be held against rotation by frictional engagement with the inner wall of a pipe being cleaned, the end portions moved toward said abutment means to exert of said scraper being of a largeriouter diameter than said annular compression elements and presenting circular scraping edges at oppositeouter ends thereof, abutment means on said member engaging the outer side ofone of said compression elements to maintain thelsame against longitudinal movement in one direction, additional means threaded ,onsaid member and adapted to engage the outer side of the other compression element, said other compression element being in non-rotatable engagement with said scraper and the contacting sides of said additional means and said other compression element being so formed that, upon rotation of said member in i one direction, with said scraper frictionally held,

in said pipe, said additional threaded means will pressure in opposite directions against the compression elements and against the outer ends of the spool-shaped scraperto expand the same outwardly, into scraping engagement with the inner Wall of said pipe, said spool-shaped scraper having asmall sleeve embedded within the in terior thereof and encircling aid elongated member, said sleeve controlling the areas of said scraper that increase insize; I

FaANKLmi/reALLIs'rEa.

be moved toward said abutment means to exert 

